Today's Herald has a front-page story about somebody shooting up and dying in the Public Garden in broad daylight, complete with photo of the fatal injection.
John gives props to the Herald:
The Globe has its strengths, but how often do you see this kind of on-the-ground local reporting from it these days?
But what of the ethics of it all? Read on:
Firestarter says she sees the news value of the story - it is shocking, after all - but adds:
... a photo with the caption that essentially says 'this guy just shot up with heroin and died shortly after' is fairly exploitive. I mean just because you can, doesn't mean you should. ...
Carpundit wonders why the photographer didn't initially do something more than just tell one of the Swan Boat operators. He says he realizes the guy must have had an internal conflict - on the one hand, he's a journalist covering a story; on the other hand, hey, there's a guy shooting up heroin right near the Swan Boats:
... I wish reporters would realize that they're just like the rest of us: citizens with an ethical obligation to report crimes. To the police. Not the swans.
Jay, a Herald business reporter, fires back at Carpundit and his anonymous "ethical thunderbolts":
John [Wilcox, the photographer] did do something. More than others in the park who surely must have seen something and surely more than those who have apparently seen it happen in the past. And his actions just might put a stop to an 'ongoing' problem that police obviously haven't put a stop to -- yet. ... 'Detached' my ass. ...
Dan contrasts the treatment to the Victoria Snelgrove photo last fall - and says the Herald did the right thing this time:
... The front-page photo, though dramatic, isn't graphic. And though I don't have today's print edition and thus can't see how it was played inside, every photo in the online gallery is newsworthy without being exploitative.
This was a self-inflicted public death, and it's not a bad idea to show people as directly as possible what drugs can do. ...
Hmm, what are the odds that Professional Media Critic will discuss this? See this Update: He shows he does read the local papers after all, with a detailed explanation of why he thinks the Herald should have devoted the entire front page to the murdered cabbie and put the junkie photo/story inside:
... To me, the tale of the Haitian cabbie studying to be a clergyman killed over a pittance is one of those grinding, aching, and infuriating stories about life in the big city that begs for the full tabloid treatment. The tale and picture of the dead junkie, which the Herald captured because its photographer, amazingly, just happened to be at the Public Garden at the time, is something else: A freaky and freakish occurrance that has no real value other than shock and no real context other than death. (I'm not saying the story and photo didn't belong in the paper, just not on page 1.) ...
If anything, Be wants more coverage like this:
... There is a serious Heroin problem in New England at the moment, with a spike in overdose deaths due to an unprecedented purity of the drug currently available on the market. Rather than pontificating on the legalization of drugs as the panacea to all ills, or going on about cutbacks to addiction programs, perhaps if we'd just get over 'offending sensibilities' and show how ugly and unglamourous shooting up actually is (not to mention how addictive it can be - Seeing people who are desperate enough to make such desperate moves as to get their fixes out in public in broad daylight), maybe, just maybe someone might give pause before taking that first (and potentially addictive) hit. ...
My standard newspaper disclosure.
